You can assemble this Sausage Breakfast Casserole the night before you plan to serve it, and simply bake it in the morning for a hearty and delicious meal!

Make-ahead meals are the best.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole - In a Green Dish with Spoon

Not everything can be made ahead of time, but thank goodness there are some meals that are even better because they’re made in advance.

This Sausage & Spinach Breakfast Casserole is one of those meals!

Here you assemble everything before you go to sleep, then all you have to do when you wake up is turn the oven on and bake.

What you end up with is a big dish of eggy custard soaked bread dotted with sausage, cheese, spinach, and tomatoes, that you can scoop onto everyone’s plates.

And if you happen to have leftovers, this dish reheats beautifully!

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole in Green Dish with Spoon

How to Make Sausage Breakfast Casserole:

The first thing you want to do is cut up a good quality loaf of bread.

Here I used my homemade Sandwich Bread, but you could also purchase a sourdough type loaf of sandwich bread.

Try not to use breads that are really crusty.

Cubes of Bread on Cutting Board

With this dish, you want the bread to be a day or two old (in other words, on the dry side) so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

If you’re using fresh bread, you can dry it out a bit by toasting it in the oven (350 for 10 minutes or so, until the cubes are lightly golden).

Place the cubed bread in a casserole dish along with cooked sausage, cooked spinach, diced tomatoes, and cheese.

Then pour a custard mixture all over the top:

Pouring the Custard Over the Bread Cubes in Dish

You will notice that the custard doesn’t soak immediately into the bread, but by the time you wake up in the morning, the liquid will be absorbed.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole with spinach and sausage in dish

Then in the morning, simply bake and eat!

Crepes are another favorite breakfast, and the batter can be made the night before. I also love Buttermilk Pancakes and this Potato Frittata for something savory. Enjoy!

Ingredient Substitutions: Feel free to play with the ingredients here. You can add bell peppers, sauteed mushrooms, or other favorite ingredients instead of spinach and tomato. Enjoy!

Can Breakfast Casserole be frozen? You may freeze leftovers for up to two months.

Can Breakfast Casserole be reheated? Yes, I recommend doing it in the oven. The microwave will give you a soggy texture.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole In a Green Dish with Spoon

Make-ahead Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 9 hrs 10 mins
Assemble this breakfast casserole the night before you plan to serve it, and simply bake it in the morning for a hearty and delicious meal!
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Ingredients

  • butter for greasing
  • 1 lb fresh sweet Italian sausage cooked and crumbled
  • 1 standard loaf day-old white bread (6 cups cubed)
  • 1.5 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 9 oz bag fresh spinach cooked and drained of excess moisture
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • Butter an 8×12 casserole dish, and set it aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked sausage, cubed bread, cheddar, spinach, and tomatoes, and toss together well until evenly distributed. Pour this mixture into the buttered casserole dish.
  • In another bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, until lightly blended. Add the heavy cream and milk, and add a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth, then pour it all over the bread cube mixture in the casserole dish. (You will notice that the liquid does not completely cover all of the bread, and that’s fine. By the time you wake up in the morning, the liquid should be absorbed.) 
  • Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap or foil and store in the fridge overnight, or for up to 18 hours.
  • When you wake up in the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the casserole for 1 hour until the custard has set and the top is golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 250mg, Sodium: 544mg, Potassium: 451mg, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 3715IU, Vitamin C: 10.3mg, Calcium: 125mg, Iron: 2.4mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Joanne Ozug

Post updated in November 2018. Originally published September 2013.